Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the original characters.

Author Note: I would like to thank everyone who added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone who reviewed the last chapter.


"Why does Shigaraki want me?"

Blue eyes remained blank as the cries and screams of her fellow candidates sliced through the air. Her lips almost tugged into a frown but Naruto quickly straightened her lips. Why is this man so insisted that I join them? Does he really think I will join a group that kidnapped my cousin? Nothing about the whole thing made sense to her.

The yellow-eyed girl licked her lips and stared at her. The bloodlust rolled off in waves and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. I can defeat her but that level of desire of blood is almost unnatural. Naruto shook her head and stared at the rock walls before looking back at the smiling girl.

"Well Kabuto wrote in your file that you are a weapon of war," Himiko chirped. Naruto stiffened as a crazed smile played on the girl's lips. The blonde felt her stomach rolled and her blood began to boil with irritation. I'm going to request Tsunade makes Kabuto's punishment be extra harsh! Now I have to tell Ero-Sennin about this! "And wrote how life had been difficult for you! You are an outcast just like us! Someone like you would sympathize with Shigaraki-kun cause."

Naruto eyed her. "And what is his cause?"

"He wants to destroy society," Himiko answered. "He wants to give everyone freedom! A world where we can be whatever we want to be!"

But why does he want to destroy society? Naruto bit her tongue and stared at the girl before looking up to the clear blue sky. Why would he want that kind of goal? What had society done to him? And how did he even plan to do it? What did he want to do after he destroyed society? She furrowed her eyebrows together and put her thumb against her lips.

Life had been difficult for you.

She nipped her thumb and took a deep breath. There was no point of denying life had been difficult but what gave him the impression that she would even join? Just because life had been difficult for her, did not mean she wanted to destroy society. Even if I did want to destroy society, I would never start with the Hero Society. Her goal would have been the shinobi society.

"We don't give money to beggars."

Naruto took a deep breath and shook her head.

"Give me one good reason why I should even consider joining you," Naruto said with a steady tone. Himiko blinked and then pouted as blue eyes stared at her. Society is a bitch but I'm not going to risk my future, my friends, family because of the pain I experienced. She inhaled and looked to the looming rock wall. "Give me one reason why I should bother to go and meet your leader. Why I shouldn't try and capture you now?"

Himiko offered her a frown and leaned back against the rock wall as the wind howled against the wall. Vibration ran down the rocks and brought out a little jolt of shock down Naruto's spine. The whiskered teen winced and then shook her head. Is she going to give me a good reason or make me feel like an idiot for even asking her? Most people in her situation wouldn't even bother to do this.

"Don't you wanna hear our story?" the older teen asked, puffing her cheeks. "If you capture me then you are never going to find out what brought me down on this road! Aren't you even curious whether or not I can feel remorse after killing someone? Or if Shigaraki-kun feels guilty for taking that angry cousin of yours?"

If I don't try to get to know their motive then I'm not actually trying to be a good hero, aren't I? She licked her lips and flickered her eyes to her fallen chains. Villains had motives and it was only right to hear their motive. It was only right they told her what brought them to have a desire to destroy society.

There had to be a decent motive behind their desires.

"Even if they had decent motives, are you going to say that they need a second chance and excuse their actions?" The Kyuubi grumbled. Naruto blinked and looked at Himiko before looking down to the brown gravel below them. "You always give excuses for people like them. Not everyone deserves chances!"

The blonde exhaled. "If I didn't know any better Kyuubi, you are starting to sound worried for me."

"It will be a bitch to reform because you are being a naïve idiot! The idea of reforming is more unpleasant than you dying!" Kyuubi growled. Naruto rolled her eyes and folded her arms against her chest. The fox did have a point. Not everyone deserved chances but it would never hurt to know if that thought was indeed true.

Are you going to do it again?

Aizawa gave her a second chance despite the fact she killed so many people that there. He gave her a second chance. It would be wrong of me to decide that they don't deserve a chance. But if she gave them a second chance then did it mean excusing their actions? Should they just allow them to roam free? That didn't feel right.

It didn't make up for what they did.

But if I think like that then that means I am letting Sasuke getting away with what he did. Naruto closed her eyes and rubbed her knuckles as yellow eyes continued to inspect her. He betrayed their village. His action got her comrades hurt and one nearly died. It could be argued that he did not tell them to go after him, but they didn't have a choice.

I don't know if Tsunade made Sasuke a missing nin but if she didn't make him one…then I have to tell her to do it. She grimaced. The Kyuubi had to remind her that giving second chances might mean excusing their actions. That was not fair to anyone in the village. It was definitely not fair to the people who nearly lost their lives to bring him back.

What did it mean to save someone? Could villains be saved?

Did they need someone to redeem them? Or should they try to redeem themselves?

"What's your decision, Naruto-chan?" Himiko asked, leaning forward. She bounced in her spot and the whiskered teen continued to stare at her. What do I decide? What is the right decision? She should arrest her. There should be no reason to hear their motives in the eyes of society but it would contradict everything she stood for.

She should try and save them because what was the differences between saving them? And saving Sasuke? If she wanted to rescue them and help them with their problems then did that mean she was going to excuse their actions? Did that mean she was going to say to people that what Sasuke did meant that he didn't have to face the consequence of his actions?

The answers had been easy when she was 12 and stuck in Konoha but now…it was difficult.

It had been easier when I didn't have therapy.

"Tell me where your group hang out and I will tell you my answer," Naruto finally said. She licked her dried lips and rubbed her knuckles before looking up at the flying birds. Her heart pounded against her chest with a numbness that brought weight to her arms. "Give me a week to think about whether or not if I want to join the group."

Himiko blinked. "Why do you need to think about it? It's a simple yes or no! Everyone is going to accept you so why don't you wanna join? You are free to do whatever you want! So why do you want to think about it? Freedom is everything. You don't have to pretend to be normal. You can be yourself around us."

"Why can't she be stupid? I would have liked Naruto if she wasn't smart!"

Various eyes flashed before her eyes and Naruto looked down at her hands. I understand her thought process but I'm happy. Midoriya, Bakugou, Hinata and Shouto accepted her. They did not care one bit about the fact there was a monster inside of her. The childhood mask lingered but out of habit…not because she was pretending anymore.

She had help but what did these people had?

"This isn't some easy decision that I can make," Naruto declared, locking her eyes on Himiko. "This is a life-changing decision and I have to consider whether your benefits outweighed my costs."

It was a lie but honesty was not going to help her when it came to her decisions. I need to figure out what kind of hero that I want to be. I need to figure out what kind of hero that I want to present to the world. The world was not black and white but it didn't mean the villains were on the right. They still harmed the people around them but prison was a horrible idea.

People never really seemed to reform or regret when they go to prison. Killing them would mean sacrificing my humanity and ruining what it means to be a hero. She licked her dried lips as Himiko regarded her with blank eyes. A decision had to be made on what she should do with villains. She had to listen to their motives and then consider what would be their best choice.

What I do with them, determines what I plan to do with Sasuke and every future villain.

She had to figure out a balance that emphasized with them but didn't let them walk out without any signs of atonement.


Why does he keep glaring at me?

Shouto tilted his head to the side and rested his eyes on Inasa. From the moment the older boy came into the room, his eyes would always turn cold whenever their eyes met. Did they meet before? It could be a possibility. Aizawa-sensei mentioned he had been the one with the top-score, but he couldn't exactly remember him.

Did I do something? He darted his eyes to the screen before looking back at the other members of his class. Midoriya and Uraraka kept glancing at the door alongside Yaoyorozu. Bakugou was silent as Kirishima and Kaminari chatted. Tsuyu, Hagakure, Jirou and Ashido were huddled together and kept eyeing the screen with worry.

The only person missing was Naruto.

"Do you think something happened to Uzumaki-chan?" Uraraka asked. Shouto blinked and tore his eyes away from Inasa. The brown-haired teen frowned and glanced at the door before landing her eyes on him. "It isn't like Uzumaki-chan to be this late. Do you think one of the students from the other schools attacked her?"

Shouto regarded the older girl before landing his eyes on the screen. He should be worried and maybe it would be concerning if it was anyone but Naruto. Only a really arrogant person would actually try to attack her. The corner of his lips tugged and the male quickly schooled his expression into a blank one.

"Naruto is the strongest person in the room," he reminded Uraraka. Midoriya bobbed his head and relaxed his shoulders while brown eyes continued to flash with concern. Shouto took a deep breath and continued on. "There is no one in this exam site that can give her any real problems."

"Then why is she late?"

I don't know. He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Midoriya. The older boy blinked and then flashed him a reassuring smile before dragging the trembling brown-haired girl to the corner of the room. Maybe he should be concern. Uraraka was right. It shouldn't take her too long to get here. So maybe something did happen and that should make his stomach roll with concern.

A memory emerged from the depths of his mind of dark blue eyes and a confident smile. His heart danced and flipped against his chest as the smile turned into a reassuring smile. An unmarked shoulder blade teased before his eyes as a growing heat enclosed onto his lower half. Naruto looking at him with darkening eyes and purring out—

"I'm strong and very much capable of taking care of myself."

Shouto gulped and shook his head. This was definitely not the time to remember how much Naruto likes to tease me or that I saw her naked shoulder blade. He closed his eyes and inhaled. An image formed in his mind of his brother wearing a maid outfit. He shuddered. The heat inside of his lower body quickly smothered out.

"Naruto can take care of herself."

The doors clicked open and Shouto jerked his head up. He let out a quiet sigh when Naruto's distant relative stepped through the door with a rather expressionless face. He blinked at the sight of the unconscious purple-haired boy in her hand. Did she knock him out? He glanced at the unconscious male, who had foam in his mouth, and then back to the blank-faced girl.

She nodded her head and then proceeded to drag the unconscious purple-haired boy to one of the empty seats. Shouldn't she be a little bit more…careful with him? Shouto tilted his head as the pink-eyed girl unceremoniously dropped the male onto the chairs. Shaking his head, he looked back at Inasa.

Inasa stared back at him with a scowl on his lips. Brown eyes burned with irritation and anger before being replaced with a pair of furious turquoise eyes. You are my perfect tool! You are a representation of me! His body trembled and Shouto looked away from the male. Maybe it would be a good idea for them to avoid each other.

If they bumped into each other then he could question him.

'Have you ever confronted him about your actual feelings?'

Shouto closed his eyes. I know Naruto meant my father but I can't always avoid confrontation because I feel uncomfortable. He opened his eyes and fixed his attention on the older male. Inasa kept floundering his arms in the air as pink eyes remained completely emotionless. She seemed to be eyeing their unconscious companion with boredom.

Letting out a deep breath, he began to make his way to them. There is nothing wrong with me asking him. He might be giving me those cold eyes but he would get into trouble if he tries anything on me. But if it was yelling then the whole scenario was now different for them. His shoulders trembled slightly but he squashed down the fear.

He stopped right behind Inasa and Kokoro cleared her throat. The black-haired girl pointed at him and Inasa swirled his body at him. The warmth and kindness in his brown eyes faded, replaced with an anger that made Shouto's body shiver. Why does he keep looking at me like I'm some kind of monster? His throat dried up and Shouto inhaled.

He could do this.

Confronting him would put his mind at ease and he could finish the second portion of the exam without a problem. I need to face him if I want to go forward with the exam. The chances of him focusing on the second part would be difficult if this continued to bug him. If he never questioned him then it would always loom over him like a dark cloud.

"Did I do something to you for you to keep glaring at me?"

Inasa blinked and then narrowed his eyes even more until it resembled two laser beams piercing through him. Shouto straightened his back and regarded the male before darting his eyes to Kokoro. The black-haired teen pressed her lips into a thin line and then pinched her nostrils before shaking her head at them.

"I still can't figure it out," the male declared. Shouto blinked while Kokoro slapped her forehead and shook her head. She eyed the older male like he was a buffoon before looking up at the ceiling. The heterochromatic-haired boy furrowed his eyebrow and Inasa continued on. "Your girlfriend says that you are anything but a jerk. No matter how much I watch you interact, I can't see it. I can't understand what she sees in you."

He didn't even know you.

Nervous blue eyes appeared right before his eyes alongside puffed whiskered cheeks. Shouto's heart sunk and crashed right into the ground with the numbing realization. He was the customer that blew Naruto's fuse. He clenched his hands into a fist and cleared his throat before locking his gaze back at Inasa.

"Naruto told me about you," he said flatly. "You were the customer who told her that I was a jerk."

Kokoro blinked and then twisted her head at Inasa. "You went to Naruto's workplace and called her boyfriend a jerk? If I'm not mistaken but isn't it a jerk move to go to a girl and declare that her boyfriend is a jerk? What were you hoping to achieve by telling her that?"

Inasa scowled. "I just thought a passionate girl like Uzumaki should be warned about her boyfriend! Would you want your cousin to date a guy who is pretending to be a nice guy? If that was one of your other relatives then would you—"

"Why would I even bother to interfere with their love life?" Kokoro asked blankly. Inasa slacked his jaw while Shouto inspected the pink-eyed girl. The teen slid her hands against her pockets and flickered her eyes to the shadows before looking back at him. "It is their life, not mine and secondly Naruto isn't related to you. She is related to me and Mr. Bad Temper over there."

The teen clenched his jaws. "You don't seem to care about her at all—"

"Caring for someone doesn't mean I interfere with their love life when there are no signs of toxicity," Kokoro stated. "Secondly, if words were enough to persuade someone to stop dating someone then that means their relationship is nothing more than a fling. From what I observe, Naruto seems to have no desire to leave Todoroki. Thirdly, if my family ever thought they were a bad idea then Eisuke-niisan and Kenji-ojisan would stop it."

Shouto relaxed his shoulders and stared at Inasa. The male grunted and turned his head away from the black-haired girl. Pink eyes inspected the buzzcut male like he was a puzzle that she could not solve. Now that I think about it, Gaara and his siblings rarely show any emotions. Maybe it was a shinobi upbringing? Hinata seemed to have a similar habit too.

Nodding his head, the heterochromatic-eyed boy kept his stare locked onto Inasa.

"What did I do to you to make you look at me like that?" Shouto repeated. "What did I do?"

The buzzcut male clenched his jaws and twisted his whole body around. His brown eyes inspected him from his red-hair down to his scar before landing onto his eyes. Why doesn't he tell me what I did? We could try to work things out. Except he was probably terrible when it came to communicating with people but he was working on that.

"You don't remember, do you?" Shouto blinked and Inasa shook his head. "I will let you figure it out, Endeavour's son but I'm going to be honest with you about my feelings: I hate you and your father."

Kokoro frowned while Shouto's eyes widened. He hates me for something I did but he doesn't want to tell me what I did. The heterochromatic boy looked down at his white boots. Not everyone could like you. That was a fact of life but it made no sense for someone not to explain their dislike to the person. Why bottle it up? Why not just say it so that the other person could understand?

How could he know how to improve himself if the male didn't tell him what he did?

"Why?"

Inasa clenched his hand into a fist and lowered his head. "I will admit that your demeanor and attitude has changed slightly but how much of it can be due to the fact that you are with someone that is just kind and melting you? If you two break up then I'm certain that your demeanor would revert back…because you have the same eyes as Endeavor."

You still inherited certain traits from Endeavor.

His girlfriend's words echoed in his ears and Shouto gazed at Inasa. Was this what Naruto meant? That he had the same angry eyes like his father? Because that was the only thing that made sense in his mind. He took a deep breath. If that was true then what did he have to do to change? No. That was not important now.

As much as he wanted to deny he didn't have the same eyes as Endeavor, it would be a biased claim without any proof. I don't know how to defend myself with a claim like his but I can still counter what he said about my demeanor. Shouto took a deep breath as the chatter of their fellow students danced around the hall.

"If my demeanor changed then it isn't because I entered a relationship with Naruto," Shouto stated. Inasa looked down at him and heterochromatic eyes hardened. "My relationship with her doesn't mean she asked me to change. Naruto never once asked me to change myself or my demeanor. If I changed then it is because I want to change. Relationships don't make a person change their demeanor."

Being with Naruto made him want to be a better person because she made him open up his eyes. When he was with the blue-eyed girl, he was always learning something new about her, about himself and even things that he never once presumed he would enjoy. He had this amazing person in his life who was never afraid to take him outside of his comfort zone.

"The only thing being with Naruto has done to me is make me realize that I want to be a better person and to be someone that she deserves."

Inasa slumped his shoulders while Kokoro only tilted her head. He cleared his throat and looked away from them. Several people gazed at him with wide eyes while most of the girls in the room seemed to have their eyes fixated on the door. Shouto knitted his eyebrows and followed their gaze. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of a red-faced Naruto.

Am I in trouble?

That was the only thing running through his mind as he gazed at the flushed girl staring back at him.


I want to be a better person and be someone that she deserves.

The words kept replaying inside of her head like a scene from a movie. It shouldn't surprise her that Shouto say those things outloud or that he even had those kind of thoughts. The boy was incredibly sweet and way too perfect for her. I don't know what I did to get someone as amazing as him. She must have saved a country in the past life for her to have this amazing, sweet boy.

She took in a deep breath and gazed at her boyfriend's troubled eyes. He flickered his eyes to the closed door that separated from the others and then looked back at her. Confusion and concern shone through his eyes. How do I say it? How do I tell him about how much those words mean to me? Emotions had never really been her strong suite.

It was so easy to verbalize anger and fondness too but this was a whole different level for her.

"Princess, are you upset with me for saying those words to Inasa?" Shouto asked, furrowing his eyebrows together. His tone was filled with so much confusion and he looked so lost that giggles threatened to consume her. He is like a confused kitten. She rubbed her eyes and sniffed before looking at the doors.

She shook her head. "Why would I be upset over the fact that you said such sweet things?"

"Well you are crying," Shouto stated. He leaned closer to her and touched her cheeks. A finger brushed away her tears and the mismatch-haired teen's eyes wavered with uncertainty and confusion. "Generally people cry when they are upset, don't they? If you are not sad about what I said then what do you feel?"

Naruto only let out a little laugh before tiptoeing up till they were at eyelevel. He is getting taller. A couple of weeks ago, there would have been no need for her to go up till the tips of her toe to reach him. Mismatch eyes continued to inspect her with confusion and the blonde smiled even wider before pulling him into a kiss.

She felt Shouto relaxing into the kiss and felt his hands roaming her hair, undoing the braid. A groan escaped from her lips as her hair fell down into a single long wave. The dance between their lips was filled with nothing but patience and tenderness. Cries echoed in the background as Shouto brought her in even closer.

It was a long time before they pulled away.

"Is that the kiss of someone upset with you?" Naruto asked, gazing up at him with amused eyes. Shouto inspected her and the blonde caressed his cheeks before moving her hands down to his neck. The thick line of his collar bone called to her, tempting her into putting a rather obvious clue about her happiness. "People can cry because they are happy too."

Shouto blinked and lowered his head. His minty breath stroked her lips and the blonde shivered as mismatch eyes had a twinkle of mischief in them. Am I a bad influence on him when it comes to that aspect of his personality? She might be one. Until they started dating, her boyfriend would never be the type to show that kind of glint.

"So you are happy," he stated. Naruto nodded and relaxed her shoulders, only to let out a gasp when the male kissed her again. Her cheeks burned and she felt her heart racing against her chest when he pulled her up. A loud cheer erupted in the background as her legs wrapped around him. His mouth was wide and seemed to be tracing the happiness and drinking in the laughs that threatened to come out of her mouth.

A little groan escaped her lips when he pressed her against the wall.

Naruto giggled. "Someone seems really happy to know that I'm happy."

"Well someone here made me worry that I didn't understand social cues again," he said with a slight smile before pressing his lips against her neck. His hot breath danced and tickled her nape as her hands came up against him. "You pulled me out of there with red cheeks. I was concern that I made you cry again."

She chortled and then smiled mischievously before nibbling his neck. He tasted of sweat and salt alongside of a faded, very faded, citrus flavor soap. His hands pulled her in even closer as a whimper escaped his lips. That definitely confirms he is sensitive around his neck. She trailed kisses up to his chin, not out of desire but reassurance that he definitely did not cause her to cry from sadness.

Her emotional intelligence wasn't that bad.

"Could you imagine how Katsuki would react if I did this to you in public?" Naruto whispered, pulling him even closer to her. He blinked and then snorted while the blonde smiled even wider as heterochromatic eyes gleamed with amusement. "Imagine the amount of complaining you would get from—oh!"

The nibble and suck on her neck was heavenly and Naruto grabbed his belt, pulling him even closer. This type of marking was going to get them into trouble but his tongue touched her like he was treasuring her. Another tiny whimper escaped her lips and Naruto stared up at her smiling boyfriend, who had his eyes fixated on her neck.

"You did that on purpose," Naruto stated as her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Shouto nodded. "It will give a signal to Mineta and Kaminari that they shouldn't try anything."

"Are you going to mark me up just so two perverts know that they shouldn't touch me?" She asked, letting out another laugh. Her boyfriend nodded and touched her neck before looking back at her with amused but determined eyes. "You do realize that if the Kyuubi doesn't heal me then you will also be facing a very irritated Bakugou?"

"He won't kill me," Naruto raised an eyebrow and Shouto elaborated. "We're friends."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Naruto said as her boyfriend released her from his embrace. She dropped her feet onto the ground and looked down at the ground. Where was her ribbon? It would be horrible if she went back into the building with obvious clues of what they had been up to for the last few minutes. "You know how much he likes to deny being friends with you and Midoriya."

A blue ribbon laid right beside her boyfriend's feet. She knelt down to pick up the ribbon as Shouto sighed. "He has to accept the fact we are now friends."

The blonde laughed and pecked him on the lips.

"Between you and Katsu-niisan, I have to wonder who will win in a battle of stubbornness."

Her boyfriend hummed and regarded her with thoughtful eyes as she began to weave her hair back into its normal braid. More cheers erupted in the background as she tied a knot around her ribbon. Shouto looked down at her with eyes filled with amusement and the blonde tilted her head at him.

"I will win," Shouto stated with a straight back. He flashed her a smile and the blonde only chuckled before shaking her head at him. She blinked when the male tilted his head. Her boyfriend frowned as his eyes continued to rest on her neck. "Princess, will you be upset with me if I tell you that I think the Kyuubi is upset with you?"

Naruto blinked. "What makes you think that the Kyuubi is upset?"

"Probably because I'm not going to be erasing the proof your hormones! If you are going to be lead by your hormones then you are going to face the consequence!" The Kyuubi snorted as dread filled her stomach. "I'm not wasting my precious chakra to cover up your deeds! You know I'm not even a full-proof way of preventing teenage pregnancy! Your mother had to learn that the hard way when your father and her had a pregnancy scare."

She didn't need to know that.

"Todoroki Shouto, how many did you put?

That she did need to know.

"A few."

"What is your definition of a few, Todoroki Shouto! How many hickeys did you put on my neck?"

Neither teens noticed a pair of heavily-guarded red eyes watching them or heard the snort coming from the white-haired teen.


A/N: While I promise that there won't be any smut until the time skip, I am not going to use these as opportunities for some comedy. For anyone that is curious, I originally planned for Naruto to hear the whole thing but I felt like Shouto should have the opportunity to defend himself. If anyone finds Naruto's conflict with Sasuke to be confusing, it is meant to be confusing because of Naruto developing two conflicting ideas inside of her.

In the next chapter, Tomoyo and Dabi will interact again alongside Eisuke. You will have an interaction between Sasuke and Todoroki in the next chapter and Naruto will have a conversation with Midoriya.

Q1: How did you feel about Naruto's thought process in the first chapter and her realization of having Sasuke pay for the consequence of his actions?

Q2: How did you feel about Todoroki and Inasa's confrontation?

Q3: How do you feel about the portrayal of the relationship between Todoroki and Naruto? Do you feel like they have been written in a cliché way? Or have you found their interactions to be interesting during this process?

Q4: How do you feel about Shouto admitting that he changed because he wanted to change? Do you feel like he is right about the idea of being in a relationship doesn't change a person's attitude?

Please do tell me your thoughts on this chapter and what could be done to improve the story.